Homecoming
by Beautiful Bluebird
Summary: Remus Lupin left his wife and unborn son. Does he make the right decision and come home to the people who love him or does he wander around in fear?


Remus Lupin was a coward. Oh, yes, he was.

He had just left his pregnant wife for a no-good reason. Sure, he was a werewolf and he was only concerned for his unborn child's welfare, but Nymphadora Tonks was in love with him. She didn't care if the child was born with lycantrophy; just as long as he had Lupin's chromosomes, she know she would have a wonderful child because of her wonderful husband.

Back at their shabby flat in Coventry, Tonks, as she so liked to be called was lying in her bed she formerly shared with her husband, one Remus John Lupin. She was staring up at the ceiling; a clumsy hand resting on her slight baby bump. He had been gone for almost a month and had practically been in a vegetative state since his departure.

Only yesterday had she found out if she would be having a boy or a girl. It was to be a boy. Remus would've been so happy...

Well, he really wouldn't have cared whether or not if the baby was a boy or girl. What mattered most to him was, "Is it going to be a werewolf?"

According to her healer at St. Mungo's, the baby was perfectly healthy. He wasn't going to suffer from lycantrophy. Oh, how devastated she was. Her dear Remus was gone and for no reason at all.

Now he had left her with a baby. A baby who would grow up without a father, werewolf or not. What would've happened if the baby had had lycantrophy? He would've left her with a dangerous son anyways. Why didn't he stay? She would've had someone with experience as a werewolf to give her son comfort if he had been diagnosed with it too.

Or, the question was, did he not love _her?_

There were times when Tonks had felt that she had maybe forced Remus into marriage. She had been persistent, but only because she loved him. She then thought that maybe she had been too persistent and didn't think about his feelings.

Remus Lupin was too kind of a man to break someone's heart like that. Too bad he just did. To Tonks, he saw this as a way to escape. At least, in her opinion.

Truth was, Lupin really did love her. He just didn't want to see her and his child suffer.

He went to Godric's Hollow to visit his dear old friends, James and Lily Potter. Perhaps they'd give him some advice...

"Hello, Prongs. And hello Lily. So, I've left my pregnant wife. That sure spells 'prat', doesn't it? Well, the fact is, I'm scared. I'm scared that my child will be born with my furry little problem and I don't want him or her to be ashamed of me. As mad as I am at your son, he is so right. I am a coward. But Nymphadora doesn't deserve this lifestyle I've given her. Andromeda hates me and is mad that her daughter married me."

He stared blankly at the tombstone for a moment.

"But, she's made me so happy. Ever since I met her; that day at Grimmauld Place..."

_I was on my way into the foyer when a slender figure came tumbling in from the living room; her wand at the ready. The portrait of Sirius's mother was screaming._

_"Filth! Mudbloods, traitors of the lot! How dare you come in the house of my noble pureblood ancestors! Oh, look! The metamorph daughter Andromeda!"_

_"Sirius, your mother can't shut up for a minute?! She's getting rather annoying! Who's there? State your name and business or I swear to God, I will- Lumos!"_

_"It is only I, Remus Lupin, friend of Sirius Black and member of the Order of the Phoenix-sent on Albus Dumbledore's request. And may I please ask you to lower your wand?"_

_The young, clumsy girl did, and I managed to get a glimpse of her pale, heart-shaped face along with her sparkling black eyes._

_And her vivid bubble-gum pink hair. Wow. Quite bold._

_"May I ask who you are?"_

_"Nymphadora Tonks, but I'd prefer that you call me Tonks. What kind of mother names their child Nymphadora?!"_

_Oh, I liked her._

_"Alright. Well, nice to meet you.. .Nymphadora," I added, cheekily._

_She pointed her wand at me and performed a Bat Bogey Hex._

_"Call me that one more time and I'll go Petrificus Totalus on your arse. Lovely to meet you though," she said, once the hex had subsided._

_I was enchanted by her blunt demeanor and her cute face from that very day._

"She says she's happy with me, my dear friends. And I'm lost without her. I've got to go back, no matter what happens. I'll try to stop by again soon. Good bye, James. Lily."

He Disapparated from the cemetery and to Andromeda Black's residence, which is where he had supposed Tonks had gone after he stormed out of their shabby little flat that night.

_"You're leaving me? All because I'm pregnant and it might have lycantrophy?"_

_"Tonks, this is what I must do! Okay, I don't want this child to be ashamed of me! God, we never should have gotten married! This is what I wanted to avoid!"_

_"This child could never be ashamed of you, Remus! You're too good! Why do you think that? And, what? You're giving up on our marriage? I love you! Do you love me?"_

_I stayed silent._

_"That answers my question. Get out! Get out now, you bastard and don't come back! Just leave before I curse you into oblivion! GO!"_

_I took a last look at her pretty face and slowly made my way out of the flat and out of my wife's life._

Remus took a hold of the gold doorknocker and Andromeda amswered it.

"You've got alot of nerve coming here."

"I know. Is she here?"

"Yes. In her old bedroom. Crying again."

That pained his heart. She was crying. Tonks rarely cried. He made his way up the stairs and when he got to her door, he timidly knocked.

"Come in mother," said a defeated sounding Tonks. He opened the door and there she was in all her glory, sitting on her twin-sized bed.

Her hair was a mousy brown, but her eyes were still the brilliant black from the day he had met her. They lit up in hope and in fear.

"Remus... What are you doing here? I told you to go."

"I can't go on without you, Nymphadora. I know; I'm a horrible person and I don't deserve you. I'm a coward, but I need you! I was scared. Scared that this child might be like me; this monster."

He started to cry and buried his scarred face in his hands.

"He could never be ashamed of someone as brilliant as you, Remus. And don't call me Nymphadora."

He looked up. Did she just say 'he'?

"You're having a boy?"

She nodded.

"And he's not going to have lycantrophy either."

He couldn't believe it. A son! Who wouldn't have the stigma of being born as a werewolf!

"Will you please forgive me, Dora?"

"You have to promise me never to leave me again. You do love me, don't you? I mean, you were silent when I asked you that question that day."

"Of course I love you! Where did you get that crazy notion in your head?"

"Well, you did leave, Remus."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. Just don't do it again!"

"I promise."

They carefully got up and walked carefully to one another. Remus tenderly held Tonks to him and breathed in her familiar scent. Their eyes made contact and soon, their lips. He was home, where he had wanted to go all along.


End file.
